39 replies to this topic

[SharDar]

When I search for "cauldron" it seems to be a patch, but some people talk about "the Cauldron" like it's a group of people. Other uses seem to indicate that it's general play in MWO currently. Can someone please clarify that for me?

[Maddermax]

It’s a group of players who came together to make gameplay and balance suggestions to PGI, who ended up agreeing with them, and implementing some of their ideas. People from various parts of the community, both comp and more casual, who wanted to fix some of the balance issues with the game.

After those initial changes were extremely well received by the community generally, though there was some grumbling from a few players as there is when any change happens, PGI started making more changes based on recommendations from the Cauldron group, and working with them directly to rebalance the game.

Edited by Maddermax, 17 January 2022 - 12:36 PM.

[John Bronco]

https://www.mwocomp.com/patches.html

[Heavy Money]

SharDar, on 17 January 2022 - 12:25 PM, said:

When I search for "cauldron" it seems to be a patch, but some people talk about "the Cauldron" like it's a group of people. Other uses seem to indicate that it's general play in MWO currently. Can someone please clarify that for me?

The Cauldron is the community group that has been in charge of balancing mechs and weapons since last spring. When you look at patch notes and see the various mech quirk and weapons changes over the last few months, these numbers were suggested by The Cauldron.

The group is made up of largely top ranked players, but not exclusively. Their goal is quickplay balance, with the specific goal of having every mech variant in the game be reasonably playable with at least one loadout. So far they're doing a great job of achieving this.

They've got their own Discord where you can provide feedback and suggestions.

[SharDar]

Looks like I found my own answer:

"The Cauldron is not some secret cabal making balance changes to appease satan.

They are players, both casual and experienced comp level. And the one goal they have is to make the game more fun... because that's the game they are playing." From: https://mwomercs.com...22/page__st__40

Is there more information about this?

John Bronco, on 17 January 2022 - 12:34 PM, said:

https://www.mwocomp.com/patches.html

Yeah, I found that page in my searches, but I couldn't figure out what they were talking about. That page makes it sound like a patch. It doesn't say that this is a group of players working to improve the game...or bring balance to the force.

[Ihlrath]

They are a group of shadowy minute men that according to my own research (I.E. vodka fueled forum reading) that are responsible for:

1: JFK's assassination
2: NFL Refs
3: Turning the game into a sniperfest C.O.D. clone.
4: Faking the moon landing

At least that's the gist of it from what I've seen on the forums.

[feeWAIVER]

Ihlrath, on 17 January 2022 - 02:30 PM, said:

They are a group of shadowy minute men that according to my own research (I.E. vodka fueled forum reading) that are responsible for:

1: JFK's assassination
2: NFL Refs
3: Turning the game into a sniperfest C.O.D. clone.
4: Faking the moon landing

At least that's the gist of it from what I've seen on the forums.

The moon landed was faked by Stanley Kubrick.
The rest is true, though.

[PocketYoda]

A group of players with far more power in this game than should be allowed.. Because PGI is too lazy or inept to do the real leg work..

[pbiggz]

Nomad Tech, on 17 January 2022 - 08:56 PM, said:

A group of players with far more power in this game than should be allowed.. Because PGI is too lazy or inept to do the real leg work..

Just because you dont personally like what they do, doesn't mean they aren't doing a good job. It just means you don't like changing your own game, but that is well established at this point.

[Castigatus]

Nomad Tech, on 17 January 2022 - 08:56 PM, said:

A group of players with far more power in this game than should be allowed.. Because PGI is too lazy or inept to do the real leg work..

Oh god forbid that a developer listens to feedback from people who actually play their game, whatever is the world coming to.

[Weeny Machine]

Ihlrath, on 17 January 2022 - 02:30 PM, said:

They are a group of shadowy minute men that according to my own research (I.E. vodka fueled forum reading) that are responsible for:

1: JFK's assassination
2: NFL Refs
3: Turning the game into a sniperfest C.O.D. clone.
4: Faking the moon landing

At least that's the gist of it from what I've seen on the forums.

Well, at T3 I think the snipefest is true. Heck, most of the match seems to consist of laser spam across half the map with some missile-fest

Oh, and lights get an indirect nerf again in this patch: small pulse lasers generate more heat.

Edited by Weeny Machine, 19 January 2022 - 08:28 AM.

[traeng]

If you guys aren't happy about the Cauldron, why not join it and propose changes instead of complaining "Oh no my build is not as good as OP as it was, better blame them!"

Without the Cauldron MWO would have been dead in 2020.

KEEP IN MIND: PGI are the ones that decides to implement or not proposed changes. It's not like the Cauldron directly changes values of the game.

Edited by traeng, 16 April 2022 - 09:49 AM.

[cazeral]

traeng, on 16 April 2022 - 09:48 AM, said:

If you guys aren't happy about the Cauldron, why not join it and propose changes instead of complaining "Oh no my build is not as good as OP as it was, better blame them!"

Without the Cauldron MWO would have been dead in 2020.

KEEP IN MIND: PGI are the ones that decides to implement or not proposed changes. It's not like the Cauldron directly changes values of the game.

I think you will find the problem has become one of "we are the cauldron and we know what's best for you because we like it this way!" as opposed to PGI's approach of "Who cares what's best for the players, we'll do it this way regardless."

Both are guilty of the same thing, regardless of all the suggestions, comments and creative critique, they plough ahead and refuse to acknowledge when they get it wrong (boot can be on the other foot, rarely do either group get praise when they get it right - and I don't mean from the sycophants, I mean the bigger player base).

IF PGI had listened to the far larger audience in the past, worked with them rather than apart, then the cauldron would never have existed.

The only thing keeping MWO alive, is the fan base who see little if anything as a viable replacement; nothing to do with PGI or the cauldron.

[Ihlrath]

[LordNothing]

cauldron > pgi when it comes to game balance. is it self serving? yes, of course. and you would too if you were in that position. good thing there is more than one person involved, so that they can keep each other from going down a self serving path. is it perfect? no. nothing is. id still rather have a cauldron than just let pgi do everything by dartboard.

[pattonesque]

I mean before they had balance input you took ISMPLS, CERPPCs, UAC10/5s, LB10s, and that's pretty much it. Now most everything is viable. CENTURIONS are viable. HELLSPAWNS, of all things. you know?

[Ihlrath]

I think it would be foolish to say that the changes that the Cauldron have made didn't help bring balance or make more weapons/chassis viable. It has, hands down.

I also think it would be foolish to say that they haven't slanted the gameplay towards long range sniping. It absolutely has. But that doesn't mean its all bad.

[Bowelhacker]

Do we have a Cauldron spokesperson to comment on this enlightening thread?

[Heavy Money]

Ihlrath, on 16 April 2022 - 05:41 PM, said:

I think it would be foolish to say that the changes that the Cauldron have made didn't help bring balance or make more weapons/chassis viable. It has, hands down.

I also think it would be foolish to say that they haven't slanted the gameplay towards long range sniping. It absolutely has. But that doesn't mean its all bad.

It was more long range slanted before.

[Scythe Kagato]

As George Carlin once said, it's a big club...and you ain't in it.